Steelers, Panthers win divisions with defense

Pittsburgh Steelers' Keyaron Fox (57) pushed out of bounds by Baltimore Ravens punter Sam Koch, center, and Ravens' Tom Zbikowski (28) after recovering a fumble on a punt return during the second half of an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 14, 200, in Baltimore. The Steelers won 13-9. (AP Photo/Gail Burton)
— AP

Pittsburgh Steelers' Keyaron Fox (57) pushed out of bounds by Baltimore Ravens punter Sam Koch, center, and Ravens' Tom Zbikowski (28) after recovering a fumble on a punt return during the second half of an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 14, 200, in Baltimore. The Steelers won 13-9. (AP Photo/Gail Burton)
/ AP

The Panthers kept Denver (8-6) from clinching the AFC West, but only because Kansas City blew an 18-point lead and lost to San Diego, keeping the 6-8 Chargers mathematically alive.

Of course, despite their scoring outburst, the Panthers needed some defense to clinch no worse than a tie for the NFC South title. Up against the NFL's No. 2 offense, led by Jay Cutler, Carolina held Denver to 279 yards.

"They pressured us a little bit," said Cutler, who threw for 172 yards and one touchdown and was fortunate to have only one interception. "We weren't able to run the ball as well as we wanted to."

Cowboys 20, Giants 8

At Irving, Texas, DeMarcus Ware added three sacks to his NFL-leading total and Dallas took down Eli Manning eight times on the way to a crucial victory.

Then, with 2:16 left and Dallas trying to manage the clock, rookie Tashard Choice broke off a victory-sealing 38-yard touchdown run to put Dallas (9-5) back in control of its wild-card chances.

The Giants (11-3), who locked up the NFC East title when Dallas lost last Sunday, lost consecutive games for the first time since starting 0-2 last season.

Colts 31, Lions 21

At Indianapolis, The Lions (0-14) were victimized in the fourth quarter by Peyton Manning and the Colts and stayed on track for a winless season.

Despite a litany of missed tackles and two lost fumbles, Manning kept the Colts (10-4) on track for a playoff run.

The win was Indy's seventh in a row and assured the Colts of a seventh straight season with double-digit victories.

Texans 13, Titans 12

At Houston, Andre Johnson had a career-high 207 yards and a touchdown to lead the Texans to their fourth consecutive win.

Kris Brown kicked two field goals for Houston.

It was an uninspired showing for the Titans (12-2), who have already clinched the AFC South and a first-round playoff bye. The Texans (7-7) are shooting for the first winning season in franchise history.

Adrian Peterson rushed for 165 yards, his franchise record ninth 100-yard game of the season for the Vikings (9-5), who won their fourth in a row. They can clinch the division title with another victory or a loss by Chicago.

Bernard Berrian scored Minnesota's first two touchdowns.

Arizona (8-6) fell flat a week after clinching its first division title in 33 years.

Dolphins 14, 49ers 9

At Miami, the Dolphins had possession for less than 22 minutes, but held their opponent without a touchdown for the third game in a row.

Chad Pennington threw a 61-yard TD pass to David Martin and a 19-yarder to rookie Joey Haynos, making the first reception of his career.

The surprising Dolphins (9-5) won for the seventh time in eight games. They can earn their first playoff berth since 2001 by sweeping their final two games, which would be remarkable for a team that went 1-15 last year.